IoT to exacerbate ransomware attacks? – Technologist

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Cybersecurity Ventures noted that ransomware attacks were the most common type of malware in 2017, and it’s projected that, by the end of 2019, a business will be hit by a ransomware attack every 14 seconds with the resulting damage costs predicted to reach $11.5B annually.

Most ransomware recovery solutions enforce a companywide rollback, meaning even users whose systems were not impacted may lose data. BlackBerry claims that its new ransomware recovery feature can freeze the accounts of affected users, not everyone in the organisation, should their PC computers and synced files become infected.

With BlackBerry Workspaces, the administrator can check user logs to pinpoint exactly what workspaces, folders and files have been affected, and selectively roll impacted files back to pre-attack versions and without restrictions on how far back it can recover. The ability to precisely remove just the infected files helps organisations avoid the loss of work and productivity that often come with system-wide recovery mechanisms.

“Beyond data loss, opportunity costs, and reputational risks, downtime resulting from ransomware attacks can inflict real harm on customers in any industry, including healthcare or public safety, where the consequences of any delay can be catastrophic,” said Billy Ho, Executive Vice President of Enterprise Products, BlackBerry.

“Organisations need to have a strong culture of security to minimise the risk of an attack. And in a worst-case scenario, it’s critical that organisations also have a layered defence model in place and an enterprise technology stack that is designed with the inevitable breach in mind.”

Connected endpoints in the Enterprise of Things (EoT) have transformed how companies work, deliver goods and services and solve problems, but they also leave companies vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Alexander Ivanyuk, global director of business development and product marketing at Acronis, warns that laptops, PCs and mobile phones may have some form of protection today but other Internet of Things (IoT) devices remain at risk.

In a blog post, Ivanyuk cites areas where connected cars, smart homes, medical equipment and wearable devices remain vulnerable from ransomware attacks.